V. I. Lenin

Reply To Mr. Segrue,

Daily NewsCorrespondent

Written:September 8, 1920First Published:PravdaNo. 202 andIzvestiaNo. 202, September 12, 1920; Published according to
the manuscriptSource:Lenin’sCollected Works, 4th English Edition, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1965,Volume 31, pages 273-274Translated:Julius KatzerTranscription\HTML Markup:David Walters&R. CymbalaCopyleft:V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marx.org) 2002. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the terms of theGNU Free Documentation License

With reference to your telegraphic inquiry of
    September 3, 1920,[1]I would like to inform you that the
    attacks on Bolshevism on the part of the German
    Independents’ Right wing, by people like Dittmann, for
    instance, do not surprise me. In my speech at the Comintern
    Congress in Moscow, I showed that Crispien’s ideas are quite
    Kautskian. Kautskians like Crispien and Dittmann are, of course,
    dissatisfied with Bolshevism. It would be deplorable if such
    people were satisfied with us. It is quite natural that, in the
    decisive struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie,
    petty-bourgeois democrats like Dittmann, who is very similar to
    our Mensheviks, are often to be found on the side of the
    bourgeoisie. Dittmann is Indignant at the shootings, but it is
    natural that, in such cases, Mensheviks are shot at by
    revolutionary workers, which cannot be altogether to
    Dittmann’s liking. The Third, Communist International would
    not be worth much if it admitted into its ranks Dittmanns of the
    German, French or any other variety.

If, however, you consider that the reports by the French, the
    German and the British workers’ delegations have done more
    harm to Bolshevism than the entire antiBolshevik propaganda has
    done, I willingly accept the conclusion that logically
    follows.

Let the two of us reach an understanding-you on behalf of the
    anti-Bolshevik bourgeoisie of all countries, and I on behalf of
    the Russian Soviet Republic. Accordingly, let delegations
    consisting of workers and small peasants (i.e., of working people,
    those whose labour creates profit on capital) be sent to Russia
    from all countries, each delegation to stay here for about two
    months. If these delegations’ reports are useful to the
    cause of anti-Bolshevik propaganda, the entire cost of their visit
    shall be borne by the international bourgeoisie. However, as the
    bourgeoisie is very weak and poor in all countries in the world,
    while we in Russia are rich and strong, I agree to secure the
    consent of the Soviet Government to defray three-quarters of the
    expenses, a more quarter to be borne by the millionaires of all
    lands.

I hope that you, who in your telegram call yourself an honest
    journalist, will not refuse always and everywhere to publicise
    this understanding between the Soviet Republic and the
    international bourgeoisie—of course, in the interests of
    anti-Bolshevik propaganda.

September 8, 1920

[1]The radio message of the correspondent of the London DailyNewsMr. Segrue was published inPravdaNo. 202,
    September 12, 1920, along with Lenin’s reply. In his
    message, Segrue pointed out that some socialists who had visited
    Soviet Russia had published anti-Soviet articles, and asked Lenin
    to comment on this.